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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cynthia Ellingsen is "The Whole Package" and more...enter to win her book!

**Giveaway is now closed**

We are very excited to have with us today Cynthia Ellingsen and her debut novel, "The Whole Package." Cynthia is an author and screenwriter who lives in Lexington, KY with her husband. She is now writing her second novel, which is planned for a 2012 release.

Cynthia is here to share with us the importance of friendship and ONE lucky reader anywhere in the US or Canada, has a chance to win "The Whole Package," thanks to Penguin Books!

Hi Chick Lit Central! I’m so delighted to talk to your readers. I feel like I’m already walking into a roomful of friends because there’s something so universal about women. We have a secret code that boys—no matter how many episodes of Sex in the City they watch—will ever understand. That code includes common threads that pull us altogether.

As women, we all...

1.Want to live in a villa in Tuscany or Provence.

2.Secretly own a bottle of Chanel #5 or a bright red lipstick.

3.Kissed him ‘just to see’.

4.Are still kinda rooting for Britney.

5.Love it that erectile dysfunction commercials now exist.

We also all have or feel a deep yearning to have those best friends that will always be there for us, no matter what.

Since "The Whole Package" hit the shelves, I have had so many readers say to me, “Wow. You must have a group of girlfriends that you’ve been friends with forever.”

This is because "The Whole Package" is a book about friendship—three women who have known each other since high school, all approaching forty. Their lives all fall apart, so they embark on a saucy business venture.

And I always reply, “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

But the truth of the matter is much more complicated than that. I do have an amazing group of girlfriends that I’ve been friends with forever but I’m lucky to see some of them once every five years. This is because, over the years, those best friends have scattered far and wide.

As a writer, I’ve always kept my life ever changing. I grew up in the country, lived in two major cities, traveled to bunches of ‘em, dabbled in different jobs and tried on many different lives. My circle of friends has ebbed and flowed with each and every life change because friendships, just like relationships, are often built on the day-to-day.

I’ve heard more than one woman say that it’s critical to have a best friend who knows exactly what’s going on without a lot of back story. We need that friend who can grab a a quick drink and talk about the kids, the house, the job or the husband. We need that friend who can and will watch back-to-back episodes of Beverly Hills Housewives just because.

The scenes in "The Whole Package" that are the most heartfelt to me are the ones where the best friends are sitting around, doing nothing. The scene where Jackie and Cheryl watch Doris cook. The moment where they lie around wearing face masks and eating candy. The times that they’re just being friends.

But I also love the part with the history. The part where the characters look back on the moments that shaped their lives. Because their best friends were always there.

Today, take a moment to think about those friends that have helped make your life "The Whole Package." Take the time to drop a note, make a phone call or find a way to let that friend know how much she has meant to you.

As women, it’s another universal truth that best friends are some of the greatest love stories of our lives.

We are thankful to Cynthia for sharing such a beautiful post about friendship with us and her book with our readers.

How to win "The Whole Package":Please comment below with your e-mail address.(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):1. Please tell us:Have your close friend(s) helped you make your life "The Whole Package?" If so, tell us what does the whole package mean to you?2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines, as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)5. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

18 comments:

The Whole Package means having good friends who you can rely on through thick and thin, good family who raised you and supports you, and a great significant other who will stand by your side through it all.

I agree with Cynthia. You need all kinds of friends in your life, and at times those needs change, but there is something consistent in the presence of the women in our lives. For me the whole package is having a friend I can share my dreams and struggles with, another friend who knows my history and still loves me, another friend who is all about fun and living in the moment, and perhaps yet another friend who is someone I look up to and want to emulate. My "whole package" is constantly evolving, but I am grateful to each and every friend along the way. This looks like such a great book!

Ah yes, I will always be rooting for Britney!I do have friend who help me to attain "the whole package", by listening to me during seemingly endless conversations, or reading through my seemingly endless e-mails, etc. etc. A lot of listening! I think for us, having the whole package is finding a feeling in content in our lives, even when "the whole package" may not be there. If you have a friend who is willing to read through and reply to your several page e-mails about life, you're life can feel pretty whole with that alone! :)nina565(at)aol(dot)com

You don't have to see a true friend everyday or talk to them once a week. They are there for you no matter what. And when you talk/see each other it's like no time has passed. I have a few close friends, and of course the boyfriend is a great friend :) Fan on fbfollow on gfc

1) I have a long-time friend who really gets me and has been through my ups & downs through life. She knows me best. I also have newer friendships that know me as I am today and are also good friends that I hope to know for a long, long time. All my friendships give me balance in my life and I depend on them to keep me sane & happy :)

Yes I think so. There was a time when I wanted to travel and do so many things and they were always supportive and believed I could. They helped in anyway. I'm very grateful to have them! It's important in life to have friends!

The whole package to me is about having the right attitude. That's the main thing, if you can see things in a positve life and not have a defeated outlook you're ready for the low and highlights. It's about surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people and being healthy from the inner and physical.

2. Friends to share with and who are there for you through thick and thin are extreemly important in your life. My whole package is my family and beautiful home that I wouldn't have made without one of my best friends, the man that has been though everythig with me...my husband

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